Ship traffic surges 55% in 5 years

…maritime manpower must keep pace – Minister
With ship traffic into Guyana increasing sharply over the past five years, the country’s maritime sector is facing growing pressure for skilled manpower to keep pace with expanding port activity, Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar has said.

Indar made the remarks on Tuesday evening while delivering the feature address at the Shipping Association of Guyana’s annual dinner and awards ceremony, where he highlighted the rapid growth in port calls, container volumes and riverfront development driven by Guyana’s economic expansion.
According to the Minister, ship calls into Guyana have risen from approximately 2000 in 2020 to about 3100 in 2024, an increase of more than 1100 vessels. That level of activity, he said, places new demands on ports, brokers, shipping agents and regulatory systems.
“When you have that kind of increase in volumes, you need more people to deal with it,” Indar said. “That is 1100 additional port calls, clearances and demands on the system. The existing capacity can’t absorb that without more trained manpower.”
He noted that the shipping and maritime industry remains critical to Guyana’s economy, with an estimated 80 per cent of global goods transported by sea. In Guyana’s case, he said, nearly all construction materials, food inputs and manufactured goods enter the country through its ports.
Indar also pointed to recent supply-chain disruptions as evidence of the sector’s importance, recalling container backlogs that affected the availability of raw materials and consumer goods ahead of the Christmas season.
“When shipping slows down, everything slows down,” he said, noting that shortages of inputs affected manufacturers, retailers and households alike.
The Minister said the Government is working to modernise and expand maritime infrastructure to support growth, including ongoing dredging of the Demerara River to accommodate larger vessels and reduce shipping costs. He acknowledged, however, that dredging is costly and requires continuous maintenance due to heavy siltation.
As part of Guyana’s longer-term strategy, Indar reiterated the Government’s goal of transforming the country into a regional maritime hub. He outlined major initiatives, including the development of a modern port facility at Parika, studies for a deep-water port in Berbice, and plans to link hinterland road networks to port infrastructure to attract transhipment traffic from northern Brazil and landlocked regions.
He also flagged the need for greater standardisation and automation across ports, warning that fragmented systems increase inefficiencies and security risks, including the potential movement of contraband.
In addition to infrastructure, Indar stressed that human capital development must keep pace with physical expansion, pointing to shortages in customs brokers and other specialised maritime services that are contributing to higher costs and delays. “The sector is growing fast, but manpower has to grow with it,” he said.